Ian McCaskill

Ian McCaskill (born 28 July 1938) is a former BBC weatherman.[1] His Scottish accent, manner of speech, and relentless enthusiasm about severe weather made him popular with viewers . He became the most imitated weather presenter in the UK.[2] He went to Queen's Park School (near Queen's Park F.C.) in Glasgow, and then to the University of Glasgow.

He joined the RAF in 1959 as part of his National Service and became an airman meteorologist, first in Scotland and then in Cyprus.[2] He left the RAF in 1961 and joined the Met Office, working at Prestwick Airport, in Malta and in Manchester. In 1978, he began working at the BBC Weather Centre. He retired on 31 July 1998.[2] He was one of the weathermen mentioned on the song John Kettley is a Weatherman.

He has been parodied by the satirical comedy show Spitting Image,[2] and by impersonator Rory Bremner, amongst others.

He lives near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire. He has two daughters, Victoria and Kirsty. He is a fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society.

In May 2000, the first phase of the £1.2 million 11-hectare Lower Leas Coastal Park in Folkestone was opened by Ian McCaskill.[3]

He continues to make television appearances[2] and also works as a motivational speaker. He has appeared on the BBC Television shows MasterChef and on Have I Got News For You?, as well as on a number of TV advertisements. He also participated in the first series of Celebrity Fit Club in 2002.

In 2006, he cowrote the book Frozen in Time, about Britain's worst ever winters, with Paul Hudson.[4] [5]

References

  1. ↑ Simpson, M. J. (2005-06-01). Hitchhiker: A Biography Of Douglas Adams. Justin, Charles & Co. pp. 272–. ISBN 9781932112351. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 BBC. "BBC - Weather - Ian McCaskill". 26 March 2010. Retrieved on 11 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Taylor, Alan F. (2002). Folkestone Past and Present. Somerset: Breedon Books. pp. 22–24. ISBN 1859832962.
  4. ↑ The Scarborough News. "Colder winters could be norm". 25 November 2011. Retrieved on 11 May 2013.
  5. ↑ McCaskill, Ian; Hudson, Paul (27 October 2006). Frozen in Time: The Worst Winters in History. Somerset: Great Northern Books Ltd. ISBN 9781905080090. Retrieved 10 January 2014.